• Boxing

Haye: Klitschko fights "will happen"

espn staff
January 13, 2010
David Haye wants to be the undisputed heavyweight champion © Getty Images
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WBA Heavyweight champion David Haye has claimed that he will fight Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko if his title defence against John Ruiz in the spring is successful. The Ukrainians currently hold the IBF, IBO, WBC and WBO versions - and Haye wants to be regarded as the undisputed champion of the division.

"The fights against the Ukrainians will happen, but only if I beat Ruiz," the Londoner told Zoo magazine. "By the end of the year I want to be the undisputed world heavyweight champion. I'm not interested in second place - second place in boxing is not a nice place to be."

Haye stressed the importance of not underestimating the abilities of Ruiz, who has signed with Golden Boy Promotions. "This is a mandatory defence, but I have to be careful. He's a 'come forward' fighter and I tend to do well against those guys. The one thing I can't do is take my eye off the ball. I have to see the Ruiz fight as the most important of my life," he said.

Ruiz has held Haye's WBA Heavyweight title on two occasions, although not since December 2005, when he was defeated by Nikolai Valuev. Haye vanquished the 7ft Russian in November 2009, and he revealed that former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis had been concerned about Haye's prospects in that bout.

"[Lennox] did admit he was very worried as Valuev was so big. He hoped I could keep low and keep boxing and then I would outmanoeuvre the hairy freakshow giant. That's exactly what I did," Haye said.

© ESPN EMEA LTD
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